The Newspaper February 17

the DEBATE

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the newspaper University of Toronto’s Independent Weekly

Vol. XXXIII N0. 17

February 17, 2011

Student groups fight for access to campus space

PIZZA JOINT STAMPED OUT

The Advisory Committee was created in the aftermath of a heated Governing Council meeting in October. During the meeting, the recently revised Policy on the Use of Temporary Space at the University of Toronto was roundly criticized by several members of campus and student groups, among them the APUS, ASSU, and UTSU. Governing Council heard opinions criticizing the policy of limiting students’ space for assembly, unfairly targeting small student groups, stifling dissent on campus, and having a potentially negative effect on student experience at the university.

Eventually, repeated loud interjections from observers and nonmembers in the Council Chamber led to a brief recess. Although the

Pizza Gigi busted with $1M in marijuana, crack cocaine, and ecstacy

MArtÍn WALDMAn The U of T Advisory Committee on the Temporary Use of Space held its first meeting this week, with the goal of providing a forum for discussion about the university’s policy on temporary space, and its use by campus groups. Included on the committee are representatives from the Office of the Vice-Provost, Hart House, and the Office of Space Management, along with various representatives from student societies (ASSU, Innis College Students’ Society, Woodsworth College Students Association, Victoria University Students’ Administrative Council), campus groups, and student unions.

policy was approved by the Governing Council, it was decided that a committee would be set up to address the various concerns raised during the meeting.

Akash Goel, VUSAC president and a committee member, points to an imbalance in scheduling between internal and external groups as one of the key issues on the agenda.

Currently, external groups (such as private parties or LSAT and MCAT study sessions) can book campus space several months in advance, while internal groups can only do so one month in advance. “This policy impedes internal groups because many space are already booked when they start looking for one,” he said. “We’re advocating for a re-

Continued on page 4

Carbon footprint City residents are blamed for most greenhouse gas emissions, according to many studies. Yet, a newly published report by Daniel Hornweeg and Claudia Laurena, both of the World Bank, and U of T master’s student Lorraine Sugar, indicates that emission rates vary considerably by city, neighbourhood, and lifestyle.

Their article, “Cities and Greenhouse Gases: Moving Forward,” which measures emissions in 100 cities around the world, including Toronto, on a per capita basis, points out that, on average, suburbanites have a much larger carbon footprint than do residents downtown. The report also suggests that city-dwellers in developing countries produce far less greenhouse gases than their counterparts in the industrialized world.

Among parts of the GTA, Whit-

Carbon footprints Annual per capita residential greenhouse gas emissions from total building operations, electricity use, building fuel use, transportation, and transit.

TONNES/ANNUAL PER CAPITA

MArtÍn WALDMAn

3.10 - 4.04 4.90 - 5.33 5.96 - 6.21 6.71 - 6.97 7.52 - 7.78 8.49 - 8.95 10.65 - 13.10

SOURCE: Vande Weghe and Kennedy, Spatial Analysis of Residential GHGs in Toronto Area TORONTO STAR GRAPHIC

by ranks as one of the worst for greenhouse gas emissions, producing 13.02 tonnes a year per capita,

COURTESY TORONTO STAR

GEOFF VEnDEViLLE

HELENE GODERIS

Demonstration targets information session by Dept of Defense

compared to roughly 5 tonnes for a resident of the Annex.

Study co-author Lorraine Sugar

Harbord Street’s Pizza Gigi, a longtime favourite of U of T students and locals fond of old-school slices, shut down abruptly this week after police discovered over $1 million worth of marijuana and other drugs in the popular pizza parlour.

Police executed a search warrant at 1:30 a.m. on Monday morning, and found an enormous stash of weed, as well as smaller amounts of Oxycontin, Oxycocet, ecstasy, crack cocaine, and $8,000 in cash.

Pizza Gigi’s owner, 57 year-old Salvatore Crimi is alleged to have sold pot over the counter to regulars, which included students from Central Technical School directly across the street, as well as U of T students at St. George campus.

According to Special Constable

Tony Vella, police had been tipped off by concerned locals. “We had been receiving a lot of community complaints from people who were already aware of this. They contacted 14 Division, and we began an investigation.” There were also several eyewitness reports of suspicious behaviour, such as customers entering Pizza Gigi and leaving shortly thereafter with no pizza or drink.

Crimi appeared in court at Old City Hall on Monday morning, charged with 15 separate offences related to drug possession and trafficking.

Constable Vella also stressed the role of local residents in keeping the city safe. “We urge people who have any concerns about what’s happening in their neighbourhood to contact their local police division.”

the news

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February 17, 2011

The guest opinion

Trivializing Expression Against Oppression Must End A Response to “UTSU’s Waste of Student Fees Must End.” the newspaper creating special moments since 1978.

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the newspaper Editor-in-Chief

Maxwell Trower and Graeme Maitland in last week’s issue claimed that Angela Davis and Ward Churchill are “advocates of tyranny” and that their invitation to UTSU’s annual eXpression Against Oppression (XAO) week constituted a violation of “human decency.” We contend precisely the opposite: both of them are proponents of social justice and equity and that it is the responsibility of a students’ union to foster these principles, and cultivate a climate for antioppressive academic discussion, within the university.

Angela Davis has been a role model for racialized women everywhere in their fight against racism, patriarchy, hetero-normativity and structural criminalization. The arrest warrant issued in the 1970s, which the authors claim was simply justice being administered, was in fact part of a larger FBI-led campaign (called COINTELPRO) to crush the civil rights movement. We should therefore understand her escape

from the FBI’s arrest warrant not as a flight from justice – as the FBI at that time was (and continues to be!) anything but a commissioner of justice – but as an understandable reaction to racist state institutions. It is insensitive, and it demonstrates a clear inability to recognize male white privilege, for two white men to delegitimize an activist who has been at the forefront of black activism around the world.

Ward Churchill is one of the few Native American academics involved in the movement for indigenous rights. He has made seminal contributions to indigenous thought, is a central figure in the American Indian Movement and also an outspoken critic of Israel’s occupation of Palestine. Trower and Maitland’s dismissal of an anti-colonial activist as a “terrorist” follows the tradition of colonialist discourses that seek to delegitimize the struggles of those whose lands continue to be occupied. Furthermore,

we find it ironic that these two authors buttress their critique of Davis and Churchill with appeals to “international standards of human rights” but remain conspicuously silent on our own university’s complicity in the Israeli government’s blatant violations of these same standards.

The prevalence of sentiments that trivialize the voices of advocates of feminist, anti-racist, anti-colonialist struggles as “hateful messages” is precisely why the students’ union should be creating a space for these marginalized voices to be heard.

While we disagree with much of what the two authors claimed about Davis and Churchill, we do concur with their insistence that “this is an issue of human decency.” It is out of a commitment to human decency, justice and equity that a student union has a responsibility to encourage expressions against oppression.

Hadia Akhtar & Shozab Raza

Helene Goderis

Contributing Editor

University of Ottawa

Diana Wilson

Arts Editor

News Editor

Suzie Balabuch

Martín Waldman

Associate News Editor Geoff Vendeville

Photo Editor Bodi Bold

Web Editor Andrew Walt

Contributors

Riley Allen, Dan Christensen, Yukon Damov, Evanna Folkenfolk, Alan Jones, Shauna Keddy, Stephanie Kervin, Cara Sabatini, Jessica Stokes, Geoff Vendeville, Andrew Walt, Mike Winters

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the newspaper 1 Spadina Crescent, Suite 245 Toronto, ON M5S 1A1 Editorial: 416-593-1552 thenewspaper@gmail.com www.thenewspaper.ca the newspaper is U of T’s independent weekly paper, published by Planet Publications Inc., a non-profit corporation.

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Obtain Two LL.M. Degrees With the uOttawa-uHaifa Exchange Agreement An innovative 12-month exchange agreement offering law graduates a unique opportunity to pursue studies in both countries’ jurisdiction.

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*The Faculty of Law extends special thanks to the Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman Foundation for its generous support.

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the debate

February 17, 2011

The Debate

3

SMOKER BAN

Hospitals and medical businesses in many states across the US are adopting policies that make smoking a reason to be turned down from certain jobs. The measures are coming from a hope that a decrease in employees that are smokers will increase worker productivity, reduce health care costs and encourage healthier living. The move also comes out of a feeling that softer policies aren’t working, and employees at certain hospitals could face urine tests, as well as termination if they are caught smoking.

The pro

The con

Get to the root of the problem.

Anti-smoking campaign gets personnel [get it?]

riLEY ALLEn

DiAnA WiLsOn All across the USA hospital boards are re-writing their job postings to read: “Smokers need not apply.” (Below: “We are an equal opportunity employer!”) Any person wanting to get on staff will have to butt out first. Some hospitals are even using urine tests to screen potential employees, and those new hires caught covertly puffing will be executed. Oops, I mean fired.

Bans against smoking have become so familiar that we have begun to treat cigarettes like illicit narcotics. We all know someone who flinches at a waft of cigarette smoke while lighting up a fatty.

But believe it not, cigarettes are not illegal. Rather than class them as narcotics, we should categorize cigarettes among other permissible but destructive habits. Why is it okay for hospitals to outlaw smokers, while the law sanctions their right to smoke?

Hospitals claim they are promoting healthy lifestyles. But this particular habit is being singled out over a variety of other dangerous habits or practices. What about over-eating? Texting while driving? Unsafe sex? Extreme sports? Expired food-eating contests? Home dental care? Finking on the mafia? MAT135?

The smoker ban is in place to save money, the bottom-liners point out. Studies have shown that smokers cost an organization more money in health care and lost productivity than non-smokers. But these sorts of statistics are not neutral.

Data against smokers is collected not only because smoking is bad for health, but because it is considered morally wrong. Do these studies also compare skydivers to non-skydivers? Or, more relevantly, obese to non-obese people? (Sub-debate: is obesity a choice in the same way smoking is?) Smoking is the socially approved scapegoat for now. But justifying the ban in economic terms may incentivize other kinds of intrusive hiring practices.

The underlying suggestion that smoking is immoral begins with the (admittedly well-grounded) assertion that smoking kills. To smoke is not just suicide. Because the eventual death is so distant in the future, it is disconnected from the person who is dying. It is depersonalized--instead of being a specific person’s death (the smoker’s), it is a generic person’s death. It’s okay for you to live dangerously, but not okay to bring about a future death, even if it’s technically your own. In this way, the choice to smoke switches from socially relevant to morally relevant--smoking isn’t a bad habit; smokers are bad people.

And where is the last place that we want bad people? In a facility dedicated to the selfless care of others, a hospital. Recall that the ban is not on smoking but on smokers. As a society, we expect moral perfection from those that care for the vulnerable. Not merely good behaviour during work hours, but constant vigilance against impure thought or deed. This impossibly high expectation justifies the discriminatory treatment of hospital employees.

For god’s sake. Let the people smoke.

STEPHANIE KERVIN

There are many reasons to block the hiring of smokers in hospitals, and in my mind these arguments fall into three major categories: the promotion of personal health in order to promote an image of wellness (you wouldn’t a butcher as the spokesman for PETA, would you?), the promotion of personal health as a social responsibility (why should nonsmokers have to pay for the poor health of smokers?) and finally, the promotion of personal health as a professional and moral responsibility. It is this last category I find particularly important to the issue at hand.

Opponents worry that banning employment of smokers in hospitals is a slippery slope and might spread to include the exclusion of those who consume alcohol and fast food, and participate in risky hobbies such as motorcycle riding.

However, what opponents fail to address is the critical fact that smoking is unique within this context. You can’t transfer a love of high speed motorcycle racing or a propensity towards alcoholism by standing in close proximity to a patient, and as far as I know there is no such thing as ‘obesity by association.’ However, as a smoker, you can transfer harmful chemical poisons to others. This phenomenon is known as ‘thirdhand smoke’ and refers to the accumulation over time of toxins emitted from cigarettes. A study lead by Jonathan Winickoff, a paediatrician at the Harvard Cancer Centre, found that smokers themselves actually exude these toxins from their clothes, skin, hair, and even their sweat. Worse still, third-hand smoke most severely affects infants and young children – a high percentage of hospital populations.

In fact, due to their faster respiration and proximity to surfaces contaminated by cigarette emissions, infants ingest twice the amount of pollutants that adults do, leading to exposures 20 times greater in concentration than those found in older individuals. And it gets worse – studies by a team of German scientists have shown that the neurotoxin nicotine could be transferred into the skin of infants via contact with smokers, causing changes in the shape of cells, or even cell death. From here, the neurotoxin can travel deeper, affecting the particularly active nerve cells of infants, and in affecting connectivity and information exchange between these cells.

Not enough for you? As we know, cigarettes are blessed with a plethora of other deadly chemical compounds – over 250 of them in fact. One of those is lead. The surgeon-general warns that there is no safe level of lead exposure, and studies show that even trace amounts of lead can permanently affect brain development in infants. Studies have shown that children with trace amounts of lead – just 10 micrograms in a decilitre of blood – had IQs up to 5 points lower than children with little to no traces of lead in their bodies.

Reading the Hippocratic Oath I was struck by the succinct truth of one line in particular: “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.” There is, as Winickoff explains “the need for every smoker to try to quit.

That’s the only way to completely protect children.” I strongly believe removing smokers from hospitals and other places of healing and wellness is a step towards this goal.

You decide which argument smoked the other. Visit thenewspaper.ca and vote in the poll at the bottom of this article!

the news

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Space

February 17, 2011

Carbon footprint

Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1 view of this, as well as a major discussion about whether external groups with connections to internal groups have access to lower booking costs.”

Ishraq Alim, VP External of the U of T Muslim Students’ Association points to another particularly frustrating issue for campus groups, that each group can only have one designated signing officer to book campus space at any time. “That one person has to go in person and

book the room,” he explains.

“We want to either increase the number of signing officers, or move toward a more efficient online method.”

Another committee member, ASSU President Gavin Nowlan, is optimistic about the committee’s role in providing a forum for discussion on key campus space issues. “This has blossomed from just looking at the grand overall policy and the related hierarchy, into a committee that’s going to look how we do everything when it comes to temporary space, how it’s booked, rules and regulations, pricing, [etc.],” he explains.

“We’re hopefully going to address a number of the concerns of how space is allocated and how you go about getting it.”

Akash Goel also notes that more subtle and specific issues can be addressed in a committee setting, such as private versus public events. While public events are supposedly open to anyone, gender or religiousbased events could pose different challenges. “There are certain gray areas, and we wanted some of those gray areas to be ironed out, and find out where they lie. It’s important as a committee to discuss those issues.”

nto Students’ Union University of Toro Federation of Students

While not a member of the committee, the Étudiants Francophones de l’Université de Toronto (EFUT) was another key actor in the lead-up to Tuesday’s meeting. Goel, Nowlan and Alim each point to EFUT as an important player in gathering the major shortcomings in the university policy, and articulating useful recommendations for their improvement. Specifically, EFUT noted that the committee itself left St. George campus groups underrepresented, despite the fact that the committee’s discussion affects them most of all, and put forth a detailed proposal for a new committee. EFUT has since been invited to speak at the Advisory Committee’s next meeting.

In separate conversations, Goel, Nowlan and Alim also stressed the fact that this week’s meeting served mainly as an introductory session to present the issues and concerns to be addressed in future discussions.

While specific action plans are not yet in the works, all three appear optimistic that the committee will at least provide a venue for input from those most affected by the university’s policies.

G IN R P S 1 201

e c i t o N s n o i t c e l E Local 98 • Canadian

says emission rates are typically highest in the suburbs largely because residents downtown consume much less energy. “They rely less on a car to get around. You can walk to the store. You can bike to work. That makes a huge difference in terms of transportation energy use. And dwellings in the city are usually smaller than those in the burbs, which have to be heated.”

In general, a resident of Toronto produces 11.6 tonnes of carbon gas emissions annually – significantly less than a citizen of Calgary (17.7), but nearly twice as much as the average Vancouverite (4.9).

Although greenhouse gas emissions are often measured by country, Sugar claims greater attention ought to be paid to cities in addressing climate change: “Nations are involved in climate change talks, in setting targets, and making decisions. What we wanted to point out in our paper is ‘Don’t forget about cities.’ People are moving to cities at unprecedented rates.

Urbanization is affecting all parts of the world, especially the developing world.”

As she and her colleagues argue in their report, “National governments may set the rules of the game but it is cities that are the athletes.

For the athletes to ‘play the game,’ not only is it crucial that they know the rules but also that their voices

and those they represent are incorporated during the formulation of the rules.”

One way municipal governments can help curb greenhouse gas emissions is by supporting greener, “non-motorized means of travel” as an alternative to cars, the report says.

Lead urban specialist at the World Bank Peter Hornweeg told the Toronto Star that highway tolls, although unpopular, are “an incredibly important and useful policy tool to move people toward the direction we want.” Another solution is to “improve the quality of public transportation.” The City of Toronto’s proposal to replace seven bus routes with light-rail lines may be helpful in this regard.

While students usually live relatively green lifestyles, there are many ways they can further reduce their carbon footprint. “Be aware of what you’re buying and where it comes from, the emissions that were used to create it and transport it,” says Sugar. They can also lessen their emissions by lowering the heat in their apartments. “There’s a prof in the Civil Engineering Department who used to tell us ‘If you turn down the heat you’d be amazed at all the energy you can save. Put on a sweater!’”

“Cities and Greenhouse Gases: Moving Forward” can be read online in the January 10 edition of the journal Environment and Urbanization.

undergraduates at St. h ion represents all full-time es suc The U of T Students’ Una campuses. U.T.S.U. provides important servic d TTC ug nte ssa cou ssi dis Mi d d an an g e din Georg book bursaries, clubs fun tral U of as Health & Dental Plans,nts’ Union also represents students to the cenconnects d de an Stu , r hts You rig ’ s. nts sse de pa tro stu Me d social vernment, advocates for T administration and gopuses to work on common goals, campaigns an cam all students across programming.

The University of Toronto Students’ Union is holding its Spring 2011 Elections to fill the following positions: Position

Seat(s)**

Division I Victoria College University College Innis College St. Michael’s College New College Trinity College Woodsworth College At-Large Arts & Science

2 2 1 3 3 1 3 2

Toronto School of Theology

1

Faculty of Music Faculty of Dentistry Faculty of Nursing Faculty of Medicine Faculty of Pharmacy Faculty of Law Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering Faculty of Physical Education & Health At-Large Professional Faculty

1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 2

Division II

Division III * Mississauga campus

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Executive President Vice President Internal & Services Vice President Equity Vice President External Vice President University Affairs

* cross appointed to the Board of Directors of the UTMSU ** seat numbers may change upon confirmation of enrolment and in accordance with the Elections Procedure Code

1 1 1 1 1

Important 2011 Dates:

Election Nominations (All Positions) Election Campaign Period Election Voting Period Election Results

Tuesday, February 15 at 09:00 to Thursday, February 24 at 16:00

Monday, Febuary 28 at 9:00 to Thursday, March 10 at 18:00 Tuesday, March 8 to Thursday, March 10 From 9:00am to 18:00 Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Nomination Pick-up and Drop-off Locations: St. George campus:

Mississauga campus:

12 Hart House Circle hours: Monday - Friday, 09:00 to 16:00

UTMSU Office UTM Student Centre, Room 100 Hours: Monday - Friday, 09:00 to 12:30, 13:30 to 17:00

To run for a position, pick up a nomination package during the nomination period at the U.T.S.U. or UTMSU office.

Please keep in mind the dates and deadlines.

For more information, visit our Students’ Union website at www.utsu.ca or contact cro@utsu.ca Please note that, at the time of this publication, “University of Toronto Students’ Union” and/or “U.T.S.U.” refers to the Students’ Administrative Council of the University of Toronto, Inc. (“SAC”).

the inside

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CAF10102_10_LCIS_BE_01_02.indd 1

dossier : CAF-10102

11-01-21 15:37

sc/client

infographe production couleur(s)

100%

1

« Des lignes de transmission rompues, ça peut vouloir dire des vies en danger. Mon travail consiste à inspecter et à réparer le matériel de communication de mon équipe. Je fais en sorte que tous restent en contact pour que tous restent en sécurité. » Caporal HAEBE BAGUIDY

TECHNICIENS EN COMMUNICATIONS

titre : « WANTED / RECHERCHONS »

“If our communications go down, lives could be at stake. My job is to inspect and maintain my team’s communications equipment. Keeping them in touch and keeping them safe.”

Corporal HAEBE BAGUIDY

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNICIANS

Janvier

RECHERCHONS :

description : 10-LCIS-BE-02

WANTED:

client : Forces canadiennes date/modif. rédaction

relecture

D.A.

épreuve à

Ontario, Toronto, University of Missisauga Ontario, Toronto, University of Toronto Ontario, Kitchener/Waterloo, University of Waterloo

February 17, 2011

the inside

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February 17, 2011

Incendies sets the big screen alight Canada’s contribution to the Oscars leaves an indelible burn on the psyche sUZiE bALAbUCH “La mort, ce n’est jamais la fin d’une histoire.” Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar-nominated work of art begins with a death and ends with the origins of life. Artistic as it is tragic, Incendies delves into the life of a seemingly average single-mom secretary, Nawal (Lubna Azabal), with two grown twins, Jeanne and Simon. As it turns out, there is nothing average about the life led by Nawal prior to her arrival in Canada.

After receiving alarmingly abnormal instructions from the mother’s will, the grieving daughter, Jeanne (played very effectively by Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin) decides to embark on a journey to the land of her origin in order to fulfil her half of her mother’s orders (the other half belonging to her twin brother).

Based on the acclaimed play

by Wajdi Mouawad, the story never specifies exactly where it takes place. It is obvious that the parts describing the secret past of Nawal, and later the twins’ quest to uncover it take place in a Middle Eastern country. However, most location names are fictional and the film is in Arabic and French, and although the story of the conflict

at the heart of this movie recalls past events in Lebanon, it’s impossible to guess exactly where the film is set.

This blanket over any geographical or political certainty makes this film all the more riveting. Although the conflict between Muslim and Christian forces is at the centre of this epic narrative, Incendies manages to remove almost all traces of any bias, mostly through Nawal’s involvement in both sides of the conflict. This in itself is a significant achievement, considering the divided state of the world.

“

Aside from the absolutely gripping story of love, loss and discovery, the cinematic style that Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has so expertly honed in past projects (most recently, in Polytechnique) perfectly offsets the breakneck speed at which the story progresses. Villeneuve divides the film into titled portions referring to either a place or a character, ridding the viewer of the confusion that habitually accompanies films of this depth and subject matter.

Villeneuve also wields another powerful weapon with a per-

fectly fitted minimalist soundtrack. One of the most striking elements of the music is a periodic piercing, monotone sound that lends a terrifying element to an already disturbing story.

Even more notable is the use of a select few Radiohead tracks, in particular Like Spinning Plates, which fit the story perfectly with their trademark genius melancholy.

The film’s most unforgettable element, however, must be the actors’ performances. As Nawal Marwan, Lubna Azabal illuminates the screen with the quiet

the campus comment

furor of a mother betrayed by those close to her and on the never-ending hunt for a child she has only seen once before.

Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin, who plays the quiet yet determined twin sister, lends an incredible fragility to the role, along with hints of the strength reflected in the character of her mysterious mother.

It is not until later that one really gets to know the twin brother, Simon (played by Maxim Gaudette), yet his performance is as charged as DesormeauxPoulin’s is tranquil. Helping the twins on their seemingly impossible quest is the friend and former employer of Nawal, the amiable Jean Lebel (Remy Girard), who provides an anchoring role for the twins in the absence of parental guidance.

Incendies is, in a word, extraordinary. It is not afraid to cleverly tackle incendiary issues that would have, in any other interpretation, come off as tired or tiresome. Movies like this one (though there are very few) prove that you don’t have to secure a Hollywood-size budget and hire Hollywood actors.

As a front-runner for Best Foreign Film at this year’s Oscars, Incendies will set Hollywood alight.

”

the newspaper asked: what did you get up to on Valentine’s Day?

Goldie, 1st year Sociology, “I sat in the caf as my friends dedicated love songs to one another.”

Claire, 4th year Sociology student “I ate pasta and masturbated to YouPorn!”

Thomas Morse, 4th year Med Sci student

Kelcie & Lando, English & Philosophy and Philosophy students, both in 2nd year: “I wrote an essay on Chinese cinema and wore red underwear” “I masturbated to Smiths’ songs”

Geoff & Erika, 4th year Life Sci and Chem, dating for 2 yrs

Andrew Walt, Web Editor

GEOFF VENDEVILLE

“Ask your mom.”

“I played Super SMASH Bros with my boyz” “I did a 5-hour chem lab.”

“This.”

the inside

February 17, 2011

7

U of T stands in a b-boy stance U of T UNITY puts on a night of youthful creativity In all my explorations of hiphop culture, I had yet to see a break dance competition. Last Saturday I checked out the seventh annual Breaking the Cycle, an impressive b-boy battle organized by the UofT chapter of UNITY Charity. The event took place at the Innis Town Hall and having only seen movie screenings in the space, I wasn’t sure how the event would go down.

With over 200 spectators the auditorium turned out to be the perfect venue for a tournament of epic proportions. Between the 38 two-man teams that competed for the $500 cash prize and the wide variety of musical and performance art acts that filled the space during judging decisions, I’d say the night was an overwhelming success.

UNITY is a unique organization that targets young people, primarily in high school, encouraging positive artistic expression through activities such as break dancing, slam poetry, and music. The group aims to help prevent drug use and violence in teens throughout Toronto by exposing them to positive forms of self-expression in hip-hop culture that promote self-esteem and confidence.

MC Testament, who’s been a member of UNITY for four years, directed the evening. He got involved with the group through a friend who encouraged him to join over a meeting at Fresh.

When asked about the role UNITY plays in the Toronto community, Testament says “I feel blessed to be around like minded people, we all have our personal stories that altered our lives. That’s why we chose so heavily to focus on the positive aspects [of the culture], because we see what a difference the transition can make in young peoples lives. So we make it a point to help young people not struggle with some of the steps that we had to struggle with and not do some of the foolish things that we did before we got to the point that we realized that we had a passion for dancing, drawing, or emceeing and using these as a vessel to transmit our message to the world… when you find a way to express yourself it helps you become better at every aspect of your life”.

One of the highlights of the evening was the youth slam poetry team BAM! Four members, Stephen, Shouly, Brian and Natasha preformed two pieces,

JESS STOKES

JEss stOKEs

which focused on empowering young women. Claiming to they their inspiration from experience, this uplifting group’s creative poetry was easily relatable to women of all ages and backgrounds. When asked about the negative side of hip-hop culture, such as misogynistic overtones, the group identified slam poetry as an outlet for emotions that primarily focused on speaking out against violence and human

suffering.

The winners of the night were Filip Matovina (aka Fil Fury) and Mike Smith (aka Troublez).

Together they were reppin’ the b-boy group FAM (Floor Assassins Militia) for the nights competition. These two are not to be messed with. Having won the last three Breaking the Cycle events, I’d wager they’re some of the hardest working b-boys in the city.

As a Serbian immigrant, Fil Fury attributes his acceptance of American culture in middle school to break dancing. “A lot of people don’t understand the culture to it’s fullest. They see what’s in the mainstream, what’s on BET, what’s seen on the news, and they associate negative images with certain hip-hop movements. But once you get into it you see it’s really built on positivity, love and uni-

ty… it just brings people together. That’s the whole essence.“ Troublez backs him up adding, “It’s about just expressing what’s in you’re heart really.

The negativity, I guess, whatever people see the negative side of it is the yin and yang of it.

Some people need to negatively express themselves, some people need to positively express themselves.”

It’s clear these two are on the same level, vibing off their mutual love for practice. When asked if they’re at their peak, they laugh. Troublez touches on the young age of the art form and how it’s just getting started in terms of its development.“We’re making history right now, it’s really dope”. The two go into battle with a winning mindset every time, suggesting b-boying helps people learn to deal with confrontation and build confidence.

Breaking dancing is an extension of hip-hop culture that I had little exposure to prior to this event. Through my interactions with artists over the course of the night it became clear to me that b-boying, as a type of artistic expression, is an integral part of the philosophy and face of hip-hop.

The artistic acts at this event are the aspects of hip-hop that in my opinion do not get enough exposure. MC Testament agrees saying “A lot of people don’t realize that hip-hop was started as positive vessel. It was all these youth from the ghetto that were told they’re too stupid to learn.

All institutions, church institutions, government institutions, turned their backs on the generation that created hip-hop. So these hip-hoppers were looking for a way out of the drugs, away from the crime, away from the violence. Bring ourselves the present now you have hip-hop music permeating these things, promoting these things. But it started as a way to speak out against some of the thing we want to change in our communities… I respect all of the people affiliated with UNITY because it takes thought, it takes action, and it takes effort to move forward with the idea of promoting positivity.”

For more information on UofT UNITY, check out their Facebook page.

Check out the FAM facebook group to catch up with the crew and get updates on upcoming events.

the arts

8

February 17, 2011

The dueling film critics

AND THE WINNERS OUGHT TO BE...

Dan Christensen and Alan Jones duel over their Oscar picks

With the 83rd Academy Awards presentation telecast coming up next Sunday, Dan Christensen, our weekly film critic (mostly) squares off against Alan Jones, president of the Cinema Studies Student Union, with their should-wins for the ceremony.

BEST PICTURE Dan: The Social Network

Alan: Black Swan

Though Toy Story 3 is probably the most widely enjoyable film on this year’s list of nominees, and The King’s Speech seems to be the most Oscar-y of the bunch (leading in nods, period piece about British people much?), the tale of the Facebook co-founder is is more than just timely. Beyond its ability to make us empathize with its thoroughly detestable protagonist, and the thrill of overnight success that it conjures within us, everyone involved in the film brought their A-games. (Score? Check. Dialogue? Check. Performances? CHECK. And the list goes on and on.)

Perhaps it’s because of my somewhat unconventional taste that it fairly often happens that my favourite film of the year is left unrecognized by the Academy (hello Observe & Report), but this year I was blown away by this Best Picture contender. Although it probably won’t win, it is still so weird that the mainstream attention it’s received is rather shocking, and probably due more to Darren Aronofsky’s reputation among critics than the twisted, formally inventive, and brutally realized showmanship of the film itself. It will surely go down in history as one of the greatest movies about hallucinating paranoid schizophrenic ballet dancers.

BEST DIRECTOR Dan: David Fincher - The Social Network

Alan: Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan

Though it’s notoriously difficult to tease this category from Best Picture (historically, just under three quarters of Oscar ceremonies have seen the two awards go to the same film), Fincher’s delicate hand can be seen at work all over this picture. A guy known for dark thrillers would seem like an odd choice for a dot-com biopic, but the sense of alienation he creates with his subtly gloomy tone is perfect here. With Danny Boyle’s immensely creative work on 127 Hours brutally ignored by the Academy, Fincher closely follows (in turn, closely followed by Aronofsky) as the next-best-thing.

Again, Aronofsky’s film is remarkable, and it is a stunning culmination of all the things that made his previous works interesting. The tortured athlete (The Wrestler), the subjection to an obsessive compulsive mind (Pi), the weirdly ambiguous visual trickery (The Fountain), and of course the hypnotic combination of music and montage created by masterful editing (Requiem for a Dream). That the frontrunners for this category are Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) and David Fincher (The Social Network), who directed films far more reliant on good screenwriting (or in the case of the former, serviceable screenwriting) than direction, makes me wonder just how untalented members of the Director’s branch of the Academy actually are.

BEST ACTOR Dan: Colin Firth - The King’s Speech

Alan: Jesse Eisenberg - The Social Network

Another category with a major snubbing (Ryan Gosling charmed my pants right off in Blue Valentine, but who’s counting I suppose), though a less upsetting one. Firth is as close to a lock for this category as you can get without being Daniel Day-Lewis in 2008. Though, admittedly, Firth had a gimmick (read: a stammer) that was not afforded to his opponent, Jesse Eisenberg (in a performance nearly equalling Firth’s in its sophistication), the performance goes far beyond that. Both Firth and his character are full of restraint – there is no moment on screen that he overdoes – but its his sincerity that breaks my heart throughout the film.

While I had some problems with The Social Network as a cohesive film, I can’t complain about Jesse Eisenberg’s admirable handling of Aaron Sorkin’s tongue-lashing dialogue. No, I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg talks like that. And even if he is an asshole, I doubt he’s quite as bad in person as he appears to be here. But that doesn’t make this performance any less noteworthy. Alas, Eisenberg is young, so the award will probably go to the older more established Colin Firth, and Eisenberg will probably get his due in thirty years for an inferior performance. That Firth’s far superior turn in last year’s A Single Man failed to win once again goes to show that the Academy is, in fact, kind of stupid.

BEST ACTRESS Dan: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Alan: Natalie Portman - Black Swan

Nothing could signal this actress’ transition from on-screen girl to on-screen woman more decisively than a film that dramatizes this very innocence-to-experience process. Well, on second thought, perhaps that may be an unfairly dark representation of...all of womankind, but what will not be unfair is Portman’s win in this category on award night. This is the definition of a virtuoso performance, with Portman hitting every possible note that her bifurcated character is capable of (a large range indeed). In addition to sustaining cramps from my body mirroring the unbearable tension she exhibited, I may or may not have peed myself in horror (people do that, right?) at her arrival as the titular black swan.

That’s not to say the stupid Academy is always wrong. Even a broken clock is right twice a day, as they say. And they’ll probably get it right in giving the award to Natalie Portman’s stunning performance in Black Swan. Although, whether they giver the award because they liked the movie, or because they want to give it to the pretty pregnant girl, is unclear. An upset could always be pulled by the perpetual runner-up Annette Bening, who may still be smarting from not one, but two, losses to Hilary Swank. As we all know from “The Office”, however, Hilary Swank is not hot, but Natalie Portman most definitely is.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Dan: Michael Arndt - Toy Story 3

Alan: Aaron Sorkin - The Social Network

Though some may suggest that it the credit going to this third instalment is cheap, recycling characters who already have a solid track record, I would argue the opposite – that it’s even tougher to create a new work with the same materials that remains fresh and exciting. After all, the past thirty years of Hollywood history is littered with the carcasses of flaccid, disappointing sequels. However, though it may seem bizarre for a script to be deemed “adapted” when the source material (the story) was produced for the film by other members of the creative team, and Arndt’s execution (especially on the laughs) represents a series of masterstrokes. The work of Pixar stalwarts John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton, and Lee Unkrich in story-craft, as it is in all of the Pixar films, was immeasurably vital here in the film’s ability to see us at turns devastated and ecstatic. Between the four of them, they managed to grab my heart and not let go.

Yes, I have problems with The Social Network. I feel the sting when two middle-aged men who hate the internet take shots at the generation raised on it. But that’s not to say Sorkin isn’t a terrific writer, so in a weak category, I would say this is the best. Of course, I would say three of the films represented here ended up being better movies than The Social Network, but none of them has Sorkin’s dialogue, which is alternately witty, vicious, and clever as hell.

Even if this screenplay seems to come from a bitter, mean-spirited place, I can respect the skill that went into it.

the arts

February 17, 2011

9

Hart House stage-off

The U of T Drama Coalition stages its highly anticipated yearly drama fest EVAnnA FOLKEnFOLK Though the tagline “A Weekend of Competitive Theatre” conjures up images of flatulent actors sparring over words and gestures like a bad flashback to the days of pagan plays and court jesters, the competition is indeed more showcase than show-off. The University of Toronto Drama Festival opens its stage curtains at Hart House this February, as it did for its first time in 1936, with eleven one-act plays vying for five coveted awards.

Despite a brief interlude, the Festival is now in its 19th year since its 1993 revival, and doing better than ever. Not only is 2011 the first year that a fourth night was added to the Festival, reflecting the addition of Innis and New College to the colleges or campuses participating in the city-wide festival, but this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Festival becoming entirely student-run.

For the last decade, UofT students have written, directed, produced, organized and performed in the Festival, not only giving a much-deserved opportunity to aspiring playwrights and writers at UofT, but also embracing the self-agency and experience required in the theater world outside the protective walls of an academic institution.

According to Jen Collins, one of the Festival’s coordinators, the student involvement in the complete production of the Festival renders it an extremely unique event, and one whose level of professionalism reveals the true breadth of student capability and talent.

Furthermore, the student-focused aspect of the Festival means that it is inherently more studentfriendly.

Not only is it right on campus (at the iconic Hart House) and charging undeniably studentfriendly prices, but the fact that the Festival is entirely studentproduced translates into both the nature and presentation of material. As evidenced by one of the more progressively advertised one-acts – a play by the name of Pathetic whose promo features its nude playwright, in what looks like snow, resting his head on the shoulder of his laughing director – the Festival is sure to be the last thing most people expect from theater – boring.

To make matters all the more interesting, the Festival is competitive (friendly, of course – no poison or knife-play), and the audience plays a role in the contest. Each year, one successful alumni is called forth to adjudicate the Festival, and this year it is none other than the iconic Cigarette Smoking Man on The X-Files, otherwise known as William B. Davis. While Davis presents four awards, the last is the domain of the audience, whose enthusiasm can determine the last of the 11 one-acts to win the enviable prize that many have coveted over the years, including bigwigs such as Donald Sutherland and Arthur Hiller.

Whether it is to see if the brave playwright actually streaks in Pathetic (Feb. 19, UTM), or to join Allen in Allen’s Log on a high-seas exploration of the subconscious accompanied by his unborn son and the late explorer Marco Polo (Feb. 17, VC), or perhaps to judge whether Jalapenos in Vinegar (Feb.17, VC) is as unpalatable as it sounds – the Festival is sure to be a good time.

For more information about the festival, visit www.drama. sa.utoronto.ca/

SCHEDULE Wednesday, Feb. 15 Piece (UTM), The Betrayal (Innis), Candelabra (SMC)

Thursday, Feb. 16: Allen’s Log (VCDS), TV Dinner or Hubris (TCDS), Jalapeños in Vinegar (VCDS)

Friday, Feb. 17 Landslide (UTM), Girls and What They Mean to Me (New College), Boys, Toys and White Noise (New College)

Saturday, Feb. 18 Un Jeu de Dames (TCDS), Pathetic (UTM) Tickets are available at uofttix.ca, or through your college drama society (Student/Senior are $10, Adults $12).

10 The album roundup Good Lovelies- Let the Rain Fall Suzie Balabuch This Toronto trio’s third album is pure loveliness from start to finish. It is apparent from the very first track that these three ladies (Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough, and Sue Passmore) really know their craft. The harmonies are tight, at times recalling the classic vocal stylings of the Andrews Sisters, and at others separating out to reveal each member’s unique talent.

Apart from the delighftul vocals, Let the Rain Fall features bass, drums, guitar, mandolin, lap steel, organ, banjo, piano and more. On a mellow track entitled “Old Highway”, the listener is treated to a great little mandolin solo and some good-old fashioned tambourine.

Above all, the album employs a very lighthearted tone, with each song telling a story, like in the romantic track, Best I Know. The band also makes specific mentions to our fair city, with lines like “Took my bike out on Harbord Street.” The purity of these ladies’ sound, their interesting musical arrangements, and a perfect dash of whimsy make this album easy to love.

The Dears - Degeneration Street Suzie Balabuch It’s been eight years since this Montreal band’s last album. The Dears’ habitual despondent sound is revitalized, mostly because of their new drummer, Jeff Luciani. On most tracks, most noticeably on Omega Dog, Luciani provides sexy signature rhythms with a slight Motown tinge, giving the album’s sound a really interesting twist. It’s really hard to be solemn when there’s a strong boom-katboom working away in the background.

The band also makes use of some other interesting musical elements, in particular organs, most noticeable on the track Galactic Tides.

Above all, the band builds on the fundamentals of their craft, exhibiting interesting songwriting skills and seriously impressive guitar skills by guitarists Robert Benvie and Patrick Krief. This band may be a late-bloomer, but it has been worth the wait.

February 17, 2011 Esperanza Spalding Yukon Damov Beliebers must have had quite a fit after the Grammys on Sunday. I heard they spilled their drinks and sputtered, “Esmer-who?! Was she even nominated?!” Perhaps the least recognizable nominee, Esperanza Spalding, upset Justin Bieber and Drake among others for “Best New Artist” and the question remains, “Who?” Spalding grew up poor in a ghetto in Portland, Oregon, and was raised by her mother. She sings and plays the bass.

She received a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music, but then became exhausted and broke. She would have dropped out if not for the encouragement of famous jazz guitarist Pat Metheny. At twenty she became a professor at Berklee, one of the youngest in its history. She played at Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize reception in 2009.

She has released three albums: Junjo (2004), Esperanza (2008), and Chamber Music Society (2010).

Spalding plays, composes, produces, and arranges jazz with jazz-fusion and Brazilian elements. An interesting choice for the Best New Artist, but not dissimilar from Norah Jones and her accomplishments. One might get the impression that if jazz is to have a resurgence in pop culture and as a relevant contemporary facet of young “black” music alongside hip-hop and neo-soul, Jones and Spalding will have been said to have led it.

Amos Lee- Mission Bell Suzie Balabuch After a few albums smoothly produced, pop-infused music, Lee makes a departure, turning to a more gritty, soulful sound. For the most part, Mission Bell does what it sets out to do with its stripped down sound and acoustic style.

Lee’s musicality is revealed, especially in his singing, but it is the album’s five famous guests (Willie Nelson, Lucinda Williams, Pieta Brown, Priscilla Ahn, and Sam Beam) that make this album, and not Lee on his own.

Some of the tracks are real stunners, like Jesus, with its slow, steady foot-stomping drums and soulful vocals.

It makes for a nice break from the pleasant, but perhaps overly formulaic remainder of the album.

The Braids - Native Speaker Yukon Damov Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Suzie Balabuch Fresh off their surprising Grammy win for Best Album, this Montreal powerhouse band’s latest offering deserves a looking-over, mostly to shame the the likes of Rosie O’Donnell and Hulk Hogan, who --gasp!-- had not even heard of the Arcade Fire before!

The band’s third album, The Suburbs, takes its inspiration from frontman’s Win Butler’s upbringing in the burbs of Houston. The band’s focus on change in this album is palpable, especially when paired with a fascinating video experience. Arcade Fire teamed up with Google Earth earlier this year to create an interactive video for one of the album’s tracks, We Used to Wait, taking the viewer back to simpler times of one’s childhood home, which is exactly what this album succeeds in doing.

It is no surprise that this dark horse took on the competition at this year’s Grammies. It is rare for an album to incite such strong feelings of unnamed loss while continuing to perform above and beyond musically. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, Rosie and Hulk.

The Braids have an absurd way of surprising you with their latest album, Native Speaker: they’ll start, as they do on the wonderful opener Lemonade, slowly, gradually and delicately unfolding the layers of their sophisticated instrumentation -- electronic water-sounds, moaning violin, snappy drum fills, guitars. Then, vocalist Raphaelle Standelle-Preston comes in, gently cooing and then, by the chorus, he is cooing profanities at you. Odd and disjunct from the music, maybe - but catchy.

There’s a strange balance in their music (part of that tension between singer and band) between her light, pretty voice and a band that has more grounded elements that makes the whole seem vaporous and earthy at the same time.

The seven songs, some of them as long as eight minutes, follow odd patterns, sometimes unwrapping and re-wrapping its parts by the end. And despite a sense of meandering, each song also reveals its bounds and structure, such as in the title-track, which feels like a short eight minutes.

Arguably an early contender for a spot on best-of-2011 lists, this Montreal band will be in town this Saturday, Feb 19th at the El Mocambo.

Adele- 21 Yukon Damov Since her debut album of two years ago, 19, Adele has been taken under the wing of the British hype machine.

Her sophomore effort, 21, was just released last month.

Adele plays guitar but it is her voice that has people talking, and for good reason: it is incredibly compelling and appealing. It’s full-bodied, with a clear, straight, easy delivery and despite such a talent, with thankfully restrained warbling and vibrato effects. Comparisons to Amy Winehouse are fair, except that Adele’s voice is less raw and more mature.

At times, the arrangements and instrumentation can take on an overwrought and melodramatic effect. At others, she rises above it, like in Set Fire to the Rain where the instrumentation still cannot match her virtuosity. The slower numbers, with their relative minimalism, like the R&B One and Only, are the more enjoyable fare on the album.

The songwriting is unfortunately unimaginative and cliched, but maybe kind of irrelevant because her voice is the music’s centre. Less melodrama and better lyrics is my particular hope for Adele, but somehow with each listen I enjoy her music more.

Armistice- Armistice Suzie Balabuch Bedouin Soundclash’s Jay Malinowski and Coeur de Pirate’s frontwoman Beatrice Martin teamed up as Armistice, also the title of their first album. The result is a romantic, rough around the edges EP that is heavily influence by Latin music, especially the trademark guitar sound and driving rhythms.

The strongest single by far is Mission Bells, mostly because it fuses the voices of the two musicians, making for an unexpectedly satisfying pairing. Martin’s delicately sultry voice quality blends very well with Malinowki’s earnest and rough vocal style. That being said, the two voices are much more effective together than apart.

Hopefully this duo will continue to make music together, not only because they’re promising musicians, but also because they have the potential to be Canada’s next great musical partnership.

Bright Eyes - The People’s Key Shauna Keddy In his first album as Bright Eyes since 2007’s mystic inspired Cassadaga, Conor Oberst joins with bandmates Nate Walcott and Mike Mogis for this month’s release The People’s Key. Lead singer/ songwriter Oberst has professed that this will be the last record he does under the name Bright Eyes. Many think that Conor Oberst basically is Bright Eyes, but in their seven studio albums to date, Mogis has always played a variety of instruments from pedal steel to guitar to percussion, and Nate Walcott has contributed instruments from the organ, to piano and horn.

Conor Oberst is truly one of the best songwriters of his generation. His songs are profound and philosophical, and yet very easy to relate to. And his music is superb. On this record, he goes for an almost 90s shoegaze sound that will certainly get you dancing and singing along. The stand out tracks are Beginner’s Mind and One for You, One for Me, but there is something for almost anyone on this sprawling opus.

Catch Bright Eyes March 13th at the Sound Academy!

the arts

February 17, 2011

The exchange

11

They are not trying to get as far away from U of T as the spherical shape of the earth will allow. Rather, students studying abroad are taking advantage of the international perspective the university purports, passing various times and places on exchange. The following is the first account of a student exchanging cultural milieus.

A UofT student survives first week abroad in Geneva, Switzerland

G RADUATE EDUCATION C OUNCIL Spring 2011-12 Election Call for Nominations

There are fourteen vacant seats on the Graduate Education Council; four Faculty, eight Students, two Administrative Staff. The Graduate Education Council is responsible for establishing policies and procedures concerning the administration and quality of graduate studies at the University of Toronto.

The Graduate Education Council considers: • policies affecting graduate studies • other matters, as appropriate

cara sabatini The Swiss do not give directions as well as they melt cheese. On my first day in Geneva, I discovered that they - although known to be more hospitable than the French across the border - have no qualms about sending a lost foreigner on her way. And differences between the Swiss and the French do not end there...

I spent the rest of the day walking around the city, less intentionally than by accident. Soon, I learned that my apartment was not, as advertised, A) situated in Geneva, but rather in the suburban municipality of Vernier, nor B) only half an hour away from the city centre à pied, but, on a good day, at least a 45 minute commute by tram and bus - quite a distance to get to an 8 o’clock class on time.

Disappointed, I started trekking to my corner of Swiss suburbia.

Carrying two overstuffed suitcases (including an obnoxiously large backpack that inevitably, and with good reason, led all locals to hate its owner) and a free map from the airport, I exited, with minor difficulty, a Swiss tram for the first time. At the city’s main railway station, my point of transfer, I sought any of three buses heading in the direction of Vernier, my temporary home.

After circling the station three times and still no closer to finding my bus, I pulled out my map. Consistent with the Swiss stereotype of indifference, no passerby offered to help me find my way. After asking for directions, three things became clear to me: First, the Swiss are generally reserved, but willing to lend you a hand if you ask nicely; second, no one at Gare Cornovain knows where the stop is for bus no. 6 to Vernier; third, I realized how much I had taken the TTC grid system for granted, and began to feel homesick.

It was a bittersweet moment.

Although I was lost and looked as bedraggled as a hiker returning from the Mont Blanc, the Alps’ highest mountain (just visible from the window of my suburban flat),I found the Genevois to be agreeable to foreigners - even one speaking such broken French.

I finally had the luxury of dropping off my unwieldy luggage at my apartment where I will spend the next semester in a little, intimate Swiss village complete with a post office, two grocery stores, three pharmacies, and a disproportionately large number of banks.

Needless to say, the next day I

bought a bike, which again made me nostalgic for Toronto’s flatter landscape and the shorter ride to campus. Forty minutes uphill is the price I pay for a moderately pleasing view of the Swiss mountains. I’ll take it. After all, although Switzerland is home to the United Nations, the Red Cross, and the CERN Microcosm museum (which would make any physics student weak in the knees), the Alps are the main reason for my semestre en Suisse, in addition to the nationals’ birthright to melt one fantastic pot of fondue, of course.

Nomination forms are available from: • SGS Website (address below) • School of Graduate Studies

Vacant Seats (14): 4 Faculty Members of a graduate unit: 1 in Social Sciences 1 in Physical Sciences 2 in Life Sciences 8 Graduate Students: 2 in Humanities 2 in Social Sciences 2 in Physical Sciences 2 in Life Sciences 2 Administrative Staff: 1 from any Graduate Unit 1 from School of Graduate Studies

Terms of Office: Terms begin July 1, 2011. The first meeting of the Nominees must be full members (non-Emeritus) of the graduate academic year is usually held in October.

Eligibility:

faculty or registered graduate students in the SGS division in which they have been nominated.

Administrative nominees must be continuing or StaffAppointed members of the University administrative staff, as defined by their constituency.

Faculty members normally serve for three years.

Students and Administrative Staff members may opt for a one- or two-year term of office, to a maximum of three consecutive years.

NOMINATIONS CLOSE AT 5:00 PM MONDAY, February 28, 2011 For more information contact: Governance & Policy Coordinator, School of Graduate Studies, 65 St. George Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2Z9 • www.sgs.utoronto.ca/governance/gec/elections.htm anil.purandare @sgs.utoronto.ca • Tel: 416 946-3427 • Fax: 416 978-1649

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ANDREW GYORKOS

12

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February 17, 2011

Across

Down

1. Took a dip in the pool 5. Moving picture 10. Duos 14. Simplicity 15. Optimal 16. Cord 17. Vice 18. Facial hair 19. Length times width 20. Flesh 21. Rodent 22. Is not, contracted 23. Epoch 25. Tame 29. Due authorship 32. Taints 33. Lie down 34. Flowery fields 37. Campaigned 40. Time of life 41. Males 42. Frozen water 43. Married 44. Dove in 48. Raw mineral 49. Honeymakers 50. Tailored 52. Sorted out 56. Meager 57. Cog 58. Employ 60. Reverberation 64. Called up 65. Dread 67. Debt 68. It may be cutting or bleeding 69. 66 down, shortened 70. Jungle cable 71. Facial socket fillers 72. Work tables 73. Extremities

1. Appear 2. Silent hello 3. Largest continent 4. Thawed 5. Tingle 6. Thought 7. Demise 8. Aural organ 9. Aged 10. Foot paths 11. More awful 12. Reveals 13. Chairs 24. Lip 26. In the midst of 27. Uncooked 28. Female address (abbr) 29. Talon 30. Anger 31. Ogled 35. Entertain 36. Lair 37. Unlawful protest 38. Unit of land 39. Require 44. Writing tool 45. Lower limb 46. Results 47. Be killed 49. Crude boats 51. One dozen 52. Consent 53. Willing 54. Array 55. Hills of sand 59. Basin 61. Nickel or dime 62. Arm appendage 63. Singles 65. Bachelor apartment 66. “We ___ not amused”